Nether again :)

Ethan stood in his base, staring at the obsidian portal that shimmered before him. He had fortified his new home in the snowy mountain, hidden away from the unkown enemy that hunting him down. But there was one last idea that gnawed at his mind, a desperate hope, however slim.

"If I kill the Ender Dragon and go through its portal, maybe… just maybe, I can leave this world behind," Ethan muttered to himself.

He know that when he jump into the portal after killing the ender dragon, the game gonna be gsme over. There, defeating the Ender Dragon was the final challenge. Maybe the rules here were the same, and that portal would take him somewhere else or he can escape from this world. But for that, he needed blaze rods, ender pearls, and the ever-elusive netherite to upgrade his armor.

Determined, he double-checked his gear, his newly enchanted netherite sword and armor, some food, tools, and building blocks. He was as ready as he'd ever be. Ethan took a deep breath and stepped through the portal.

---

The moment he arrived in the Nether, the heat hit him like a wall. The oppressive atmosphere was just as suffocating as he remembered, with rivers of lava flowing through the landscape and towering crimson and warped forests stretching as far as the eye could see.

Ethan made his way carefully across the terrain, navigating around pools of lava and jagged cliffs. His main objective was finding a Nether fortress, there, he could collect the blaze rods and hopefully run into some endermen.

After what felt like hours of searching, he finally spotted the dark, ominous silhouette of a fortress rising from the ground, its blackstone walls towering over the lava lakes below. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he approached. He knew what lurked inside, wither skeletons, blazes, and other dangers. But he was prepared.

Creeping cautiously into the fortress, Ethan gripped his sword tightly as the sound of rattling bones reached his ears. A pair of wither skeletons stood guard at the entrance, their tall, bony frames cloaked in black armor.

"Alright, here we go," Ethan whispered to himself.

He rushed forward, catching the first wither skeleton by surprise. His enchanted netherite sword cut through the air, slicing through the skeleton's torso with ease. The second skeleton swung its stone sword at him, but Ethan parried the blow and countered, cutting it down just as quickly.

With the skeletons down, Ethan pressed deeper into the fortress, his eyes scanning every shadowed corner for danger. He found a blaze spawner soon enough, and the familiar sound of crackling fire filled the air. Flames erupted from the spawner as several blazes appeared, hovering in the air with fireballs swirling around them.

Ethan readied his bow, firing arrows at the blazes before they could unleash their fireballs. His aim was precise, and within moments, the blazes were reduced to smoking piles of rods. He gathered up the loot, a small sense of victory washing over him as he counted out enough blaze rods to make the potions he'd need.

As Ethan continued exploring the fortress, he stumbled upon a rare sight, a group of endermen, their tall, dark figures towering over the landscape. Normally, endermen were rare in the Nether, but he wasn't about to question his luck.

Drawing his sword, Ethan engaged the creatures, careful not to look directly into their eyes until he was ready to fight. One by one, he struck them down, collecting their pearls as they fell.

"Alright," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "That should be enough to make Eyes of Ender."

Ethan had everything he needed. His chest felt lighter, knowing he was one step closer to facing the Ender Dragon. He could escape this world. Or at least, that's what he hoped.

But something felt off.

The Nether seemed diffrent than usual. The absence of piglins, which should have been wandering around the fortress, bothered him. There was no sign of the gold-clad creatures anywhere. Ethan had seen plenty of piglins on his previous trips to the Nether, but this time, it was as if they had vanished.

His instincts told him to investigate, to figure out why the fortress and the Nether in general felt so different. But his rational mind warned him against it. He had the loot he came for, it was smarter to return to his base and prepare for the next step. Survival was his priority.

"Better to be safe than sorry," he decided, turning back toward his portal.

As Ethan retraced his steps through the fortress and began heading toward the portal, a low, distant rumble stopped him in his tracks. It sounded like thunder, but in the Nether, thunder wasn't possible. He strained his ears, trying to make sense of the noise.

The rumble grew louder, turning into a rhythmic pounding. It was the sound of marching, hundreds, if not thousands, of feet moving in unison. His pulse quickened. What could possibly make such a sound in the Nether?

Creeping closer to the source of the noise, Ethan carefully peered over the tree, his eyes widening at the sight below.

A massive army of piglins marched in formation, their golden armor gleaming in the fiery glow of the Nether. There were thousands of them, all moving with toward certain direction. Ethan had never seen anything like it. The piglins had always been chaotic, attacking anything that crossed their path. But this… this was organized.

The piglins seemed to be heading toward a specific destination, their gold armor clanking as they moved. Ethan crouched low, hoping to avoid their notice, but his breath caught in his throat when he saw a few scouts at the rear of the army. Their eyes scanned the horizon and then, one of them spotted him.

Ethan's heart dropped. He ducked down behind a rock, his mind racing.

"Run."

He didn't wait to see if the scouts were giving chase. He bolted, sprinting back toward the portal with all the speed he could master.

But to his surprise, the piglins didn't pursue him. Instead, they continued their march, the scouts turning away as if he didn't matter. For some reason, they didn't seem interested in him.

Breathing heavily, Ethan slowed his pace as he approached his portal. He glanced back at the army, still marching away in the distance. The sight sent a chill down his spine. Whatever was happening, it was bigger than anything he had encountered before. Something had changed in the Nether, and he didn't know what it was.

For now Ethan enter the portal.. returning to overworld and his safe base.